Celeste
by Ebaki
Summary: Domino had never fallen. She had never tripped on the stairs, slipped in the hall, stumbled over uneven ground; she's just insanely lucky. Even socially and academically, she's never fallen, she has never failed a test, never made a massive fool of herself that's knocked her down the social ladder. So she decides to play matchmaker for her best friend, Ellie. (Movieverse)
1. Run, Run, Run

Title is from Run Run Run by Celeste Buckingham

Chapter 1: Run, Run, Run

Domino had never fallen. She had never tripped on the stairs, slipped in the hall, stumbled over uneven ground; she's insanely lucky. Even socially and academically, she's never fallen, she has never failed a test, never made a massive fool of herself that's knocked her down the social ladder (which is surprising, considering her friendship with Wade). She always had the best parties, told the best jokes, even had the best _food._ Nobody had ever, not once, seen her fall (which is ironic, considering her nickname was Domino).

Which is why, when she caught her best friend making heart-eyes at the new girl, she was determined to give her friend the best shot at a date possible (and then plan the best, most awesomest wedding _ever_ for them, but that would have to wait until after she had scored them a date).

It was the first day of the school year, and everyone was dragging their sorry butts through the halls of Xavier High School, already missing summer and counting down the minutes until the next holiday from the first second after the first bell signalled the start of the day (was that just their school? Or was it every school?).

Domino found herself caught in a stream of people, who were all hurrying towards the school auditorium to have first-day-back-announcements and all that other yadda yadda. She was wearing simple black shorts and a white t-shirt, with her signature leather jacket and an afro crowning her head. She had once been self-conscious of her features; the white patch over her left eye, the dark, frizzy hair and thick thighs, but she had come to accept herself over the years, and by the time she was in high school, she flaunted her appearance. Her unique look made her feel special, and she strutted down the hall with an air of confidence, eyes peeled for any signs of her friends.

They better not have skipped the first day back. It looked bad, and made the teachers keep an eye on you for the rest of the semester. So, she had given her friends the sage wisdom of sucking up to the teachers for the first few weeks of school, so the teachers skimmed over them for the rest of the semester while keeping an eye on the other trouble makers, while they did all kinds of shit right under their noses.

"Hey Domino! Over here!" Ah. At least one of them had taken her advice. Domino veered off of her current path to intercept the person who had called her name: her best friend Ellie Phimister. El was kind of a grump the first time they had met, but after some incessant prodding and poking, she had agreed to sit with her at lunch one day, and they had become best friends ever since.

Turns out, they both had similar interests; they both revelled in technology and pop culture, and had a very big appreciation of martial arts and science. Domino and El both took a martial arts class and they trained together every Tuesday and Thursday, making them very skilled at fighting and self-defence (skills that every woman should learn in today's society). Domino liked maths more than El did though, and in turn she liked music more than Domino did. Domino was extraverted while El was more introverted, Domino liked concerts while El liked movies, Domino liked extravagance while El had simpler tastes, and this conflicting set of interests led them to appreciate things that they normally wouldn't try, which made them a good pair. Opposites attract, people.

The two shared a quick embrace (Ellie wasn't that fond of hugs), and El stepped back, glancing around. She was wearing her usual black lipstick and dark, 'edgy' clothes as Domino liked to call them, although, she had shaved her head.

"I like your hair. Or well, lack thereof." She commented, gesturing to her new haircut. It suited her; she was always different too, although Domino would miss her flowing locks of dark brown hair that reached well past her shoulders. It was fun to braid, seeing as she couldn't braid her own hair. Ellie ducked her head in acknowledgement of her friend's compliment, running her hand over her shaven head.

"Yeah. I kind of just wanted a change, y'know?" She explained before asking: "You haven't seen V or the boys yet, have you?", scanning the crowd surging past them. Domino shook her head.

"Nah. But you know them, they're always late. Well. Maybe except Piotr. But we'll see him soon enough if he's here; you just don't miss a guy that big." Domino shrugged. "Do anything interesting this holiday? Meet any new… people?" Oh yeah. Best not to forget to mention that Ellie is 110% gay. Domino was just the only one she had trusted enough to tell, and even after that she had almost had a meltdown. Her family was incredibly homophobic, and so saying it aloud had brought with it quite a bit of panic. So tried to be as discreet as possible when asking her friend about her love life; Ellie had made it very clear she didn't want _anyone else_ to know.

Ellie shook her head, looking slightly grateful at her friend's choice of words. She probably hadn't yet forgotten the time Domino had almost let her secret slip, and so seemed much more pleased at Domino's carefulness.

"No, not this time," She replied with a shrug of her own. "I didn't go out all that much. I watched a shit-tonne of movies though." Domino rolled her eyes. Of course she had. Oh well, she still had time before she was doomed to a life of loneliness with her 23 cats. El watched the students flow past her.

"C'mon, let's go before we're late for announcements." She declared, stepping forwards without waiting for an answer, leaving Domino to scramble after her. El was very… efficient. But that sometimes made her unapproachable by other students, who were all slightly unnerved by her brusque and blunt nature.

The two quickly joined the mass of people and were instantly swallowed by the crowd that flooded into the large auditorium, before taking their places on the stands at the edges of the hall. The announcements were boring as usual, welcoming the students back to school and so on, and so Domino preoccupied herself with examining the mass of students that filled the room with them, trying to pick out her friends in the haze of faces.

She found Piotr almost immediately, of course, it was hard to miss him when he was over six feet tall. Next to him on his right side, sure enough, looking just as bored as she felt, was Wade Wilson and Vanessa Carlysle. On his other side stood Nathan Summers (but he preferred to be called Cable), looking sullen and none too keen to be back at school. Wow! They had all come to school this time! A momentous occasion indeed. They should celebrate, she decided. 'First time and probably the LAST they had ALL managed to come to school on the first day'! Huffing with amusement, she turned her attention back to the Principal, who was still speaking on his podium.

The announcements went on, and on, and _on,_ and _on_ (like seriously, how long were these things supposed to be?), and finished with Principal Xavier introducing five new students: three girls and two boys. One of the girls was to be in their year, apparently, and Domino examined her with interest. She was very… bright. Her hair was long and dark, with pastel pink streaks running through it. She wasn't that tall, maybe around El's height, and was wearing a fashionable gray and pink sweater and a pair of denim jeans. She gave the crowd a warm smile when her name was called: Yukio Kutsuna ('Hmmm Japanese maybe?' Domino wondered, gazing down at the girl). All in all, she was quite attractive and looked like a very warm, sweet girl. Huh. Domino might just like someone outside of her friendship circle for once (everyone else here was pretty crappy. They all had rich parents, but that made some people very entitled and snobby). Perhaps she should talk to her and convince her to sit with their group, before some jerks snatched her up and turned her evil or something.

Domino leaned over to Ellie and was about to ask her opinion on the matter when she noticed her friend's face. Her eyes were wide, and her lips were parted slightly as she gazed down at the new girl with an expression that could only be described as dreamlike, and oh, yeah, she was definitely getting this girl to sit with them at lunch.

She supressed a snigger at Ellie's hazy appearance and gently elbowed her friend's side, making her snap back to attention and shoot Domino a wide-eyed look. Upon seeing her friend's amused face and teasing glint in her eyes, she frowned and looked down in embarrassment at being caught gawking at the pretty girl, a blush forming on her cheeks. Uh-huh. This girl was not going anywhere.

And so, that is why she approached the girl at the end of announcements, despite Ellie's dismayed protest of "What are you doing? Are you going up to her? NO! Stop it!", and offered her a spot with them at lunch. Ellie positively _growled_ behind them, but Yukio's eyes lit up and she happily agreed to meet her again at lunch time, before waving at them pleasantly and strolling off. Domino grinned triumphantly, watching her leave. Ellie didn't seem too pleased though, and punched her in the arm _hard_ , eyes filled with annoyance.

Domino rubbed her arm, shooting her friend a wounded look. "What was that for?"

Ellie looked furious, if not a little upset. "You KNOW what it was for! How could you do that? Why would you-? AGH!" Ellie threw her hands up in frustration and stormed off, leaving Domino standing alone to gaze after her in confusion. What just happened? All she had done was ask Yukio to sit with them at lunch. Yeah, sure it was because this was the first time she had ever seen El take an interest in someone, but the new girl needed friends too. Surely there was no harm in that. Domino frowned, watching her friend disappear around a corner.

"OI! Domino! Over here!" Wade's voice cut through her thoughts, and Domino rolled her eyes with a small smile as she turned to greet her other friends, El's outburst momentarily forgotten.


	2. Drama

Title is from Drama by AJR

Ellie was pointedly absent at lunch time, and Domino was finding it hard to conceal her disappointment. She'd really wanted Ellie to meet Yukio properly, and she was slightly worried about her vanishing and not speaking to any of them for most of the day after she'd stormed off. Domino was distracted from her thoughts however when she spotted Yukio approaching the table that Domino and the rest of her friends were sitting at slowly. Domino turned and offered her an encouraging smile, waving her over and shifting slightly, making more room for Yukio to sit. The uncertainty faded from Yukio's eyes as she returned the smile, sliding into the spot Domino had saved for her.

"Hi." She said shyly, nervousness hibernating in her voice, ducking her head in greeting to Domino and her friends.

Domino beamed at her, trying to seem as friendly as possible. "Hi Yukio!" Turning to her friends, she added "Guys, this is the new girl, Yukio." To her slight surprise, Wade was the first to greet her, eyes glinting good-humouredly as he waved at her.

"Hi Yukio! Name's Wade." He extended his hand out to her, which she shook hesitantly. Domino hoped she wasn't being put off by their… excitement.

"Piotr; is nice to meet you." Piotr was the next to offer his hand, smiling at Yukio warmly. Domino could see her slight surprise as she shook his hand; Piotr was _huge,_ with very large muscles, and had a very thick Russian accent. It was easy to think of him as mean or tough, but in reality he was a big softie.

Vanessa introduced herself more softly, as if sensing the new girl's discomfort, and, after an elbow in the ribs from Wade, Cable also grunted out what might have been a 'Hello' if one tried hard enough to find it. Domino rolled her eyes at him, and turned to look at Yukio, and was surprised to find her gazing back at her expectantly. Domino paused for a moment. What'd she miss? Had she asked a question? Luckily, Wade crowed the answer at her from the other side of the table.

"And you areee?" He drawled, rolling his eyes at her. Oh shit, she'd totally forgotten to introduce herself. Pushing down some of her embarrassment, she turned and smiled at Yukio.

"Name's Neena. But my friends call me Domino," she introduced. Yukio's eyebrows shot up at the mention of her nickname.

"Domino?" She repeated slowly, the surprise fading from her face after a few seconds. Across the table, Wade hooted with laughter.

"If you think _that's_ weird just wait until you hear Ellie's nickname!" Realisation seemed to dawn on him at the mention of their absent friend. "Hey, where is she anyway?" He glanced around, and, surprise surprise, she was nowhere to be found. Domino's earlier worries began creeping back up on her again. Was she still mad at her?

"I'm gonna go looking for her." She declared, rising to her feet. The others nodded their assent, and with one last smile at Yukio, she turned and began walking towards the main section of the school, leaving just in time to hear Wade loudly ask Yukio what kind of movies she liked.

Domino wandered the halls of the library, glancing around to see if she could spot Ellie's shaved head. She'd decided the most likely spot to find her was here, seeing as she wasn't exactly a social butterfly, and would enjoy the quiet of the library to cool off and listen to music or something. Sure enough, after rounding a few more corners and peering through the bookshelves, she found her sitting on the floor in a secluded corner of the room, headphones dangling around her neck, but she wasn't alone.

The school's resident dickhead, a homophobic, sexist, white supremacist that some people called the Juggernaut was standing over El, a sneer pulling at his lips. El seemed unfazed, despite the hulking guy glaring down at her, returning his heated stare with an unimpressed glare of her own. Something he said next must have pissed her off, because Domino managed to catch the end of her replying statement as she approached: "-head out of your ass it's not a hat, you intolerant shithead."

Juggernaut's face twisted into an ugly snarl and he took another step towards El's sitting form, but at this point, Domino swiftly stepped between them.

"What's going on here?" She demanded sharply, giving Juggernaut a hard stare, as El rose slowly behind her. Domino glanced at her. "You alright?" El gave her a terse nod, her gaze flicking between the two people before her, shoulders hunched defensively. Juggernaut regarded them warily. He knew they both trained together doing mixed martial arts, and she saw him considering his options. He still looked like he wanted to strike Ellie, but apparently satisfied himself with a disgusted snort before storming off, flipping the bird at them as he left.

"Real mature." Ellie drawled at his retreating figure.

Domino inspected her silently for a moment, before asking again "You sure you're alright?"

Ellie shifted her gaze back to her friend's face, and Domino was unsure if the anger in her eyes was directed at her or Juggernaut.

"I'm so sorry." Domino burst out. "I've never seen you look at anybody like you looked at her. I wanted to you to be able to get closer to her before she sat with anyone else and you weren't going to say anything… I just wanted to give you a chance. Plus, she's really sweet. I think you'll really like her." The words spilled from her mouth in a rush, and she quickly snapped her jaws shut, hoping the anxious look in her eyes would effectively convey her guilt. El's expression softened slightly and she closed her eyes, shoulders sagging as she let out a sigh. When she opened them again there was still a hint of reproach in her gaze, but she was much less angry than she was before.

"I thought she was _pretty._ Really pretty, yeah, but it's not like I'm in _love_ with her…" She sighed again, this time in defeat, and she dropped her gaze. "It'd never work out anyway. I don't know her. She doesn't know me." Glancing around, she dropped her voice to a harsh whisper before continuing. "And it's not like even if she _did_ like girls, I'd ever… do anything anyway. I can't let anyone know about…" She trailed off, looking away, her expression pained. Domino suddenly understood why her friend had been so upset at her trying to match them up. She didn't _want_ to be matched up, because then everybody would find out that she was gay.

Another pang of guilt flashed through her. She hadn't thought about El's fear of being outed, she had just been thinking about her own excitement. "I'm really so so sorry. I can… get her to leave?" Oh yeesh, what would she say to Yukio? But El shook her head, glancing up at her again with a tired look in her eyes.

"No… it's fine. I'll deal with it." She looked away again, muttering. "I mean, I see lots of pretty girls, and I'm not weird around them. Vanessa's pretty, I don't hit on her." She probably hadn't meant for Domino to hear the last part, but she didn't comment further, so Domino let it slide. Her thoughts drifted back to Juggernaut, and she wondered what the hell he was doing here.

"What did Juggernaut want?" She asked, lowering her voice and glancing at the place he had disappeared as though double checking he wasn't lurking around the corner listening to them. El made a face at the mention of the hulking brute, eyes flashing with renewed anger. It was definitely something bad if it got El this worked up. But her friend apparently didn't want to say what he'd said because she dodged the question, albeit clumsily.

"Nothing important. He's just a jackass. Let's go back to the others." She strode past Domino and disappeared behind a library bookshelf, heading for the exit, leaving her friend behind once again to scramble after her without warning.


	3. Heart Afire

Title is from Heart Afire by Defqwop, S-Trix

Ah shit, this was bad. Apparently, when El said she'd 'deal with' interacting with Yukio, she meant being a total a-hole. In the days following their conversation, she'd been incredibly abrupt and brusque with the poor girl, rebuffing her every attempt at pleasant conversation to the point that Domino decided that she'd had enough and needed to get her friend to stop being mean. It was affecting the whole group. She'd been not only rude to Yukio, but very offensive and harsh to Wade and Cable, and had even snapped at Piotr the other day, and it was by then that Domino decided action needed to be taken to get her to calm down.

It was 3 weeks after they'd spoken in the library, and it was on this day, after a particularly sarcastic remark at Yukio's expense, she'd grabbed Ellie by the elbow while they walked out of school and dragged her into an empty classroom to their left, despite El's angry protest. Closing the door behind them, she whirled on El and fixed her with her most intimidating stare, which, in comparison to the frightening glare El was giving to her, was pretty weak.

"You need to stop." Domino began, trying to sound stern, folding her hands across her chest.

El's glare sharpened. "Stop what?"

"You know what!"

"Uh, no I don't" She responded stubbornly.

"Fine. Stop being a total bitch to everyone. You're being so mean! When you said you were gonna deal with Yukio, I didn't think you meant you were gonna be an asshole to her so she hates you!"

"Well what am I supposed to do?" There was a desperate edge to El's angry voice now. "She just- She- AGH! She makes me feel so stupid!" Domino's eyebrows crept upwards at El's exclamation, but she wasn't done yet. "She's in my head! She laughs at Wade's idiotic jokes and she's so nice to everyone and she just… She's so pretty and kind and funny and… She's making it really hard for me!" El stomped over to the nearest desk, pulled out the chair and sat down, gripping her head in her hands miserably. She was silent for a few moments, before whispering "I'm so confused. I don't know what to do. She makes me feel all… weird. But I can't let myself like her. And if I did become friends with her, I might not be able to hide it from her and she'd tell everybody and then my parents-" She choked and broke off, her shoulders slumping, head hanging low.

Domino let her arms drop to her sides as sympathy swept over her. Her friend looked so upset and miserable and confused. But she wasn't thinking properly. Sidling up to her, Domino placed her hands on her friend's shoulders; a small tremor ran through the girl's body at the contact. Taking a seat beside her, she began rubbing her friend's back in a soothing manner.

"Hey… look it's okay… don't be upset…" To her surprise, El leaned against her abruptly, her eyes closed. She let out a shuddering breath and slowly dropped her head to let it rest on Domino's shoulder, and in return Domino wrapped her arms around her friend, enveloping her in a gentle hug. Some of the tension drained from El's body as she leaned against her friend, and Domino felt a sudden surge of protective affection for her friend, something she didn't feel all that much around El. She could take care of herself in most cases, but seeing her so helpless in this situation made her feel defensive of her, in a way, and she felt a renewed determination to help her.

"Look, I know it seems like it sucks because you feel like you can't hide your feelings around her, but have you ever considered that she might be into girls too?" El stirred against her, and Domino released her from the hug so she could turn to look at her with confused eyes.

"Think about it." She pressed. "Have you ever asked her? And she doesn't seem like the uh… lets say… _straightest_ tool in the shed." El's confusion deepened, but there was a spark of hope beginning to glow in her eyes at Domino's proposition. Then, defeat washed over her again and she slumped back into her seat, her black lips in an unhappy frown.

"How would I ever find out? I can't just _ask_ her if she prefers girls or guys." She paused and glanced at Domino with questioning eyes. "Can I?" Domino frowned thoughtfully. Probably not, but if it was in a different _context…_ An idea began forming in her brain, and her glee must have shown on her face because El's interest perked up.

"What is it?" She demanded, dark eyes flashing.

"You know what this calls for? A bonding experience. I suggest we go to the movies and have dinner and a sleepover." Domino declared. El looked unimpressed, and raised one eyebrow, lips pursed.

" _That's_ your brilliant idea?"

"Hey! You can't judge until you try it! Maybe you just need to get a little closer to her? Besides, it'll make up for being so mean to her."

El looked unconvinced, but she rose to her feet and nodded slowly. "Fine. But only because I've been such a bitch lately." Domino whooped internally. "When should we have it?"

"Tomorrow night?" Domino suggested.

El hesitated, before nodding and turning away from her, walking to the door. She paused with her hand on the knob, and glanced at Domino over her shoulder. "I know you're planning something. Please think this through." Her dark eyes were filled with apprehension.

Domino placed one hand on her chest and held the other up in a solemn gesture. "I promise I won't mess it up." She swore. El offered her a small smile, relaxing slightly, and exited the room. _Don't worry El! I got this._


	4. I Feel Glorious, Glorious

Title is from Glorious by Macklemore

Yukio happily agreed to join them for the night, to Domino's slight surprise. She hadn't been as apprehensive about hanging around El as she thought, although there was a certain awkwardness as they sat around the table for dinner at a pizza place near the cinemas, and Domino found herself being the main driver of the conversation for a while. It didn't help El's situation that Yukio was looking particularly stunning that night, even to Domino. Her hair was in a loose, messy bun that somehow still looked perfect, and was wearing some hoop earrings and another fashionable sweater, although she had traded her jeans for a pretty denim skirt, paired with some tan boots.

El was wearing some slightly less edgy clothing for the dinner, (Domino's suggestion) although she still wore her signature black lipstick, but had added some pretty earrings and borrowed one of Domino's jackets. She was biting the inside of her cheek; a habit Domino had noticed she did whenever she was nervous, and kept darting her gaze around the room anxiously. Man, she really was a wreck around this girl. And so, Domino was tasked with keeping the conversation light and friendly between them, and Yukio, although slightly awkward herself, remained cheery throughout their time at dinner.

When El excused herself to go to the bathroom however, Yukio turned to look at Domino with something akin to hurt shining in her eyes. Glancing around, she leaned in and whispered: "Why does El hate me so much? Maybe I should just go home…" disappointment was heavy in her voice, but Domino refused, shaking her head adamantly.

"She doesn't hate you, she's just… nervous." Yukio frowned at her poor explanation, and so she hurried on. "Look, do you like video games or movies or like, music? She loves those. She'll talk your ear off about them, just bring it up and I'm sure she'll come out of her shell more." Domino lowered her voice, too, before adding "She doesn't have that many friends that share her interests, or… friends in general. She thinks she might freak you out if she gets too excited about 'nerd stuff', but if you liked it too…"

Yukio's eyes softened in understanding, and it seems she bought Domino's explanation, as she flashed Domino a grin, sitting back again. "I get it. You should've told me that sooner! I'm kind of geeky myself, I guess I've been holding back for the same reasons too." Domino gave her a lopsided grin in response. Maybe this could work.

"I'm sure she'll love it if you talk about that stuff. In fact, I might never hear the end of it now…"

El came back a couple of minutes later and slid into the booth again, refusing to meet Yukio's gaze once more. Yukio hesitated for a few moments, but took a deep breath and began talking.

"So, El, about this movie tonight… Did you pick it?"

El's gaze finally snapped up to meet Yukio's, and she looked slightly defensive before nodding slowly. Yukio however, beamed at her.

"I thought I was the only one who actually wanted to see this movie! I hope it's as good as the book, though, otherwise I'll be majorly disappointed."

El tilted her head, and was, to Domino's delight, holding the girl's gaze more comfortably, albeit still cautiously. "You've read the book too?"

Yukio nodded vigorously, and El relaxed slightly, before asking, "What was your favourite part?"

And wouldn't you know it, just as Domino predicted, they were soon chattering excitedly about books, movies, and videogames. She could tell she was definitely not going to hear the end of it tonight, but she didn't mind. Seeing how excited the two were, she found herself rolling her eyes affectionately as the two began debating which Harry Potter book was the best.

"Order of the Phoenix, definitely." El declared.

"Nuh uh, Goblet of Fire." Yukio insisted.

" _What?_ Are you kidding me? No way!"

And on and on and on. It was cute, but worry was beginning to worm it's way into her heart; she just hoped it all ended well for El. She could tell that she liked the girl a lot, from just how her eyes were shining in this moment. She hadn't looked that happy in ages. Sighing, she stood up to pay for their meal, not wanting to interrupt their conversation. They could pay her back later; she didn't really mind.

It was 7:00. Their movie started at 7:15. The trio headed down the road to the cinema, now in a much more comfortable state than they had been at the beginning of the night. She grinned at the two, who were now squabbling about their theories for some video game, Five Nights At something or other. It was really, _really_ cute. That is, it was until they started talking about a string of murders. But it was still… kind of cute.

They entered the movie theatre and Domino validated the tickets she'd bought online while the others got snacks. They made it to their movie with 4 minutes to spare. El and Yukio were whispering beside her, apparently discussing what they thought would be in the movie. Occasionally, one of them would giggle quietly. She suppressed a small smile. They were absolute nerds. Domino had no idea what this movie was about, but El had insisted on watching this one if she was going to watch one. She relaxed into the cinema seat as the opening credits began to play, and the murmuring of her two friends died down instantly.

She glanced over at the two of them and smirked. It was subtle, but El had definitely shifted so she leaned more towards Yukio. As the movie progressed, it became more and more obvious, and Yukio, too, had moved so that now, their arms were touching as the leaned onto each other. One of them would sometimes whisper something to the other, and they would nod or laugh quietly in return. Domino's grin widened, much less focused on the film as she watched her two friends.

As if sensing Domino's gaze, El glanced at her curiously, but at seeing her amused expression, she stiffened and moved away from Yukio sharply, sitting up straighter in her seat. Yukio blinked at her in the darkness, and slowly shifted away from her too, so they were now separated again and watching the movie with rigid backs. Tension radiated off of El, and Domino swallowed a lump of disappointment that had formed in her throat. Damn, and they'd been doing so well too.

The rest of the movie was much less eventful, and Domino found herself nodding off towards the end of the film. All in all, she was eager to leave the cinema at the end of it and head home. The walk back to her house was silent for a few minutes, and Domino racked her brain for conversation topics to remove the awkward atmosphere. It turned out to be unnecessary though, as El turned to Yukio before exclaiming.

"Well that movie was shit!"

Yukio's face split into a wide grin and she relaxed, laughing lightly.

"Majorly disappointed." She agreed. El smiled at her warmly. The rest of the walk was in a much lighter mood, as the two geeks discussed how bad the movie was in comparison to the books.

Walking up the steps to her house listening to El and Yukio chat, she went over her not-so-genius, genius plan to get Yukio to tell them her preferences in her head, and just hoped- prayed- that everything worked out the way she wanted it to, as unlikely as that was. But then again, Domino had always been lucky.


	5. Why'd You Have To Go And Cut Your Hair?

Chapter title from 'Ubu' by Methyl Ethel.

As it turned out, Yukio wasn't lying when she boasted about destroying people at Mariokart. Right now, Ellie was muttering curses under her breath as she raced, the number 2 in the corner of her screen, while Yukio giggled gleefully and sped towards the finish line in 1st place. At the last second though, she screeched to a halt right before she could cross, and El zoomed past her. Yukio smiled and put on the accelerator, finishing second. El glared at her crossly.

"Why'd you do that? Now we'll never know who's the best at this stupid game." She scolded her, a playful edge to her voice.

"Oh I think we all know I would've won had I kept going. I was just being nice." El stuck her tongue out at her, before standing and trudging over to Domino's game cabinet to look for another game to play. So far, they'd done speedruns of Super Mario, Mario Party, Super Smash Bros, Crash Bandicoot and Mariokart. Domino only had two remotes, so she was content to watch them challenge each other. El rummaged around for a bit before pulling out a game and examining the front.

"How about this one?" She called to the others, holding it up for them to see. It was titled Little Nightmares. Domino rolled over onto her back and yawned.

"Yeah sure. It's a horror game but it's single player, so you won't be able to play together."

El frowned and turned back to the cabinet, ready to search for another game, but Yukio interrupted her before she could.

"No, it's fine. I'm a little tired of playing videogames. You can play it though." Her eyes sparkled in the light emitted from the tv screen. "Or we could have a girl chat."

Yes! Perfect! This is exactly what Domino needed to find out what she wanted about Yukio.

Nodding vigorously, she agreed. "Yeah, let's have a girl chat. We haven't had one of those in a while, El. And well, I've never had one with you, Yukio." She rolled over again so she was lying on her stomach and smacked the pillow next to her. "El. Sit."

El returned the game to the cabinet and walked back over to the two girls, sitting on the pillow Domino had hit. She tilted her head.

"What do you wanna chat about?" She asked.

"Hmmm… well, how's about we play a game or two first, and see what comes out of them." Domino suggested. El rose an eyebrow at her.

"I thought we didn't want to play games anymore."

Domino rolled her eyes. "Videogames. Besides, these games just help us to find gossip topics." El blinked.

"Okay. I have no idea what you're doing but okay."

Domino nodded. Okay. Let's see.

"Truth or dare?" She suggested, eyebrows raising thoughtfully.

"Noooo that's boring." Yukio complained. "How about… Who Would You Rather?"

Oh wow. This was just too perfect.

"Yeah sure." She agreed, before turning to look expectantly at Ellie. "El?"

"That sounds fine." El replied, sounding a little forced.

"Okay, Yukio, you start."

Yukio tapped her chin thoughtfully, before grinning.

"Wade or Cable?"

Domino screwed up her face. "Ewww. Not our friends, they're like brothers." A pause. "But Cable definitely."

"Cable." El conceded.

"Really? I would go for Wade." Yukio said, looking a little embarrassed. At the looks she got from the other girls, she continued defensively. "But just cause he's funnier than Cable!"

Domino rolled her eyes. "Yeahhhh sure. Okay. How about Peter P or Ronan?"

"Peter." Came the instant replies. Wow. Okay, yeah, Ronan's a jackass.

El's turn. She considered her options thoughtfully. "Peter Q or Thor?"

"Thor." Domino replied after a moment's thought.

"Peter Q." Came Yukio's reply.

Huh. Okay. But that one was more easy to discern, seeing as Peter Q had a girlfriend. And well, Thor is Thor.

The game continued on like this for a while, and Domino was right, it did lead to some pretty interesting conversations as people defended their choices, but she still hadn't figured out where Yukio stood in this. Then it was Domino's turn again, and she decided to go for her chance.

"Wanda or Loki?"

El's answer was immediate, almost too fast. "Loki."

Yukio however, looked thoughtful. After a moment, however, she answered slowly: "I think I'm going to go for Wanda." Silence. Yukio hurried to defend herself. "Not that Loki's bad, he's just a bit… Greasy. And Wanda's pretty too." A nervous chuckle escaped her. El was looking at Yukio with a strange expression, and Domino elbowed her in the side discreetly to get her to stop before Yukio noticed. El looked away.

"Okay, yeah. I agree." Domino conceded, and El turned her startled gaze onto her. Domino gave her a small smile, attempting to calm her.

"My turn." Yukio announced, interrupting their moment. "Natasha or Nebula?"

Oh. They were turning the game to girls, Domino thought, triumph welling up inside her. El was silent, before she slowly said "Natasha."

Domino smiled to herself and agreed. "Natasha."

Yukio tilted her head, narrowing her eyes slightly. "I would've gone Nebula." She paused. "She's mean but she's also kinda cool too. And I like her hair." She gave El a sly sideways glance. El looked surprised and baffled, a blush slowly creeping its way across her face. Nebula's head was shaved, too.

Domino's internal smile grew. Maybe Yukio not only liked girls, but liked El too? Wouldn't that be absolutely amazing?

But El surprised her by standing up abruptly and starting to walk away from them, headed towards the bedroom door.

"Bathroom." She called over her shoulder, before she disappeared and closed the door behind her.

Domino felt disappointment well up inside of her, again. Why did El have to keep running? This just showed that they have a chance together, and she left?

Turning back to Yukio, she could see her own disappointment reflected in her eyes. Ducking her head, Yukio muttered softly, "I told you she hates me."

"She doesn't." Domino stressed. "She's just going to the bathroom." Yukio looked unconvinced, and for good reason. Geez, El just needs to chill a bit, Domino thought with a flash of irritation. But then she remembered the look of sheer panic El had had on her face when she had come out to her, and she felt a pang of guilt. El was just scared. And she needed the support of her closest friend.

Lifting her head to lock eyes with Yukio, she began talking. "Look Yukio, I need to tell you something about-"

She broke off as El slipped back into the room, shutting the door and plopping herself back onto her pillow.

"Where were we?" She asked, a small grin gracing her features. It was awkwardly silent for a few moments, before Yukio piped up softly.

"It was your turn, El."

El started for a moment, looking mildly surprised, but gave Yukio a smile afterwards.

"Yeah sorry. Okay… Let's see…"

They played the game for another 20 minutes or so, but quickly got bored once most of their options ran out. It was time for a new game. That is, it was before Yukio said "Do you guys know Juggernaut?"

El and Domino exchanged a glance, looking surprised.

"Yeah we know Juggernaut, why?" Domino searched Yukio's gaze. Where was she going with this? Yukio looked down, studying her feet.

"I heard him talking about both of you."

Domino's eyebrows raised in curiosity and confusion. Huh?

"What was he saying?" She asked.

Yukio looked away. "He said he doesn't like you, Domino. But… I think he has a… a thing for you, El." El's eyes shot wide open in surprise.

"Me?" She repeated, dumbfounded.

"Yeah. He was saying that you were- and I'm quoting him here- 'effing sexy'. Something about you being his type." She looked uncomfortable. "Do you like him?"

El was still looking shocked, but she shook her head. "He's an asshole."

Yukio relaxed slightly. She glanced around, even though it was only them in the room, before leaning forwards to whisper "He was saying you were hot, and that… even though you're a 'feisty bitch', you would be great for him, if you 'just knew a great guy when you saw him' blah blah, you're 'missing out' and that he could show you how to loosen up a little." She wrinkled her nose, sitting back. "He's disgusting."

El gazed at Yukio silently for a moment.

"He said that I was pretty before I cut my hair." She began in an annoyed, almost angry voice. "He said I'm ugly now, and when I told him to get lost, he said that he was probably the best I could do, and that every other person found me unattractive, and that he'd still take me even though I looked like..." She paused. "even though I looked disgusting." She finished awkwardly.

There was silence in the room for a moment, before El snorted with amusement. "I told him to get his head out of his ass because it wasn't a hat." Realisation dawned on Domino at the statement.

"So that's what he said to you in the library." She murmured, understanding washing over her. Yukio looked confused.

"Huh? When was this?"

"It was before I met you." El told her with a shrug. "I don't really care; I wouldn't date him even if he was the last human being on Earth." Domino smirked at her words. Of course she wouldn't, and not just for the reason she mentioned. El ignored her amused expression and checked her watch, before clearing her throat.

"Anyway, it's late, maybe we should go to sleep now." She announced abruptly. Yukio was staring at her with an unreadable expression on her face, but she nodded at El's suggestion.

"Yeah… I'm getting kind of tired, too."

They quickly brushed their teeth and got underneath the blankets Domino had provided. Tiredness washed over her, but before Domino lost consciousness, she heard Yukio moving around in her spot, and heard her call out softly "El? You still awake?"

"Mmmm?" El hummed sleepily in response.

"Juggernaut's a liar. And an idiot." Silence. "I think you're really pretty."

El remained silent for a few moments, before whispering "I think you're really pretty, too."

Domino's internal smile shone brightly, and she opened her eyes and discreetly prodded El with her index finger. El opened one eye to look at her. Domino beamed at her friend, and she could see El blush in the faint light, before rolling over so her back was to her. But Domino didn't miss the small smile that tugged at her lips before she turned away.


	6. What The Hell's Going On?

Chapter title is from Echo by Crusher-P

Just as Domino had thought, El and Yukio were fast friends, and within weeks they did almost everything together. They were practically inseparable, and Domino noted how good of an influence Yukio was to El. El had softened considerably since become friends with Yukio, and was much more outgoing with her. Right now, they were practically wrestling each other for a bag of mnms. Wade, Piotr, Cable and Vanessa watched with surprised eyes.

Wade leaned over to Domino and whispered "If that was me, El would've actually poked my eyes out by now. Since when did she get so… playful?" El let go of the bag and let Yukio have it, sticking out her tongue at her. Wade looked even more baffled. "And when did they become so close?"

Domino grinned. "I just made them go on a movie date with me the other week. They're both huge nerds. I guess they bonded over it."

Piotr nodded approvingly. "At least she's not so mean to us all anymore." He commented. Cable rolled his eyes at the statement

Vanessa, however, had narrowed her eyes at the two, and was watching them critically. What's that all about? Domino thought. Does she not like them?

The bell that signalled the end of lunch interrupted her pondering, however, and she stood to leave for her next class with a groan. Yukio and El meanwhile squabbled over who go to keep the remainder of the mnms. From the sounds of it, Yukio was going to have it. Domino smiled and shook her head slowly, beginning to walk towards the main building.

Once inside, an arm suddenly yanked her backwards and pulled her into a side door that led the bathroms. She spun around to face her attacker, hands raised defensively, but was met with Vanessa's searching gaze.

"V what the hell! I could've beaten you!" Domino exclaimed, lowering her arms. The other opened her mouth to speak, but paused, glancing around. She quickly ran up along the cubicles, checking for feet. Yeah, no one else was here. Unless they were standing on the toilet seat. Seemingly satisfied with her search, Vanessa came to a halt in front of Domino, looking at her somewhat sternly.

"El likes Yukio, doesn't she?" She murmured softly, but it wasn't a question so much as it was a statement. Domino felt shock flash through her.

"No she doesn't. Why would you think that?" Domino replied, a bit too defensive. Vanessa looked incredibly unimpressed and rolled her eyes.

"You aren't an idiot. You've seen how she acts around Yukio. She's got a crush. That much is obvious." She snorted. "Look, I don't want to cause trouble or anything. I care about El, too, believe it or not. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one seeing it."

Domino relaxed slightly, but still felt troubled. How many more people had noticed? "Don't tell anyone." She stressed pleadingly. Vanessa's eyes flashed.

"I'm no traitor. If El wanted people to know, she'd tell them." She huffed. Domino gave her a small smile.

"She's not… ready yet." She explained awkwardly. Vanessa blinked.

"If she's not ready, why is she being so obvious?"

"She's not trying to be!" Domino protested. "She's just… I don't think she knows how to act. I'll talk to her though, and make sure she understands that people might notice now."

Vanessa nodded understandingly and walked towards the exit to the bathroom, seemingly done with their conversation. "Make sure she does." Softening her voice slightly, she added "I don't want her to get hurt." She then threw a small smile over her shoulder at Domino, and murmured "Their secret is safe with me."

Relief washed over her as Vanessa exited the room. Thank God V was reasonable. In the meantime, however, Domino would have to figure out how to ask El to tone it down a bit if she wanted her feelings to remain secret.

El had been alarmed when Domino told her Vanessa knew about her crush. At first she'd been horrified and angry at Domino, who she thought had told her. When Domino explained that it was because she was being so… weird to Yukio, however, she had seemed even more distressed.

"What do I do?" She had all but shouted, pacing the floor of Domino's room. "I can't be mean to her again, I'd hurt her!" In a quieter voice she added "And it would hurt me too, if she thought I hated her again." She sat next to Domino on her bed, and dropped her head onto her friend's shoulder. Wow, Yukio really was softening her up. El usually hated physical contact. Hesitantly, Domino put an arm around her upset friend, and to her surprise, she didn't pull away. Instead, she slumped a little more heavily onto Domino's shoulder, letting out a dejected sigh.

Okay, maybe now it was time to give her The S Talk™. Not the birds and the bees talk. The… Supportive Friend Talk. So maybe it was The S F Talk.

Rubbing her friend's arm, she considered what she was going to say carefully. "It's your choice," she began. "You choose who and when you decide to tell. You don't even have to tell anyone. I'll always be here for you." She paused, thinking over her next words. "You don't even have to act on your feelings if you don't want people finding out. I don't think you should do that though. I think… I think you should be honest with Yukio."

El opened her mouth to protest. "I can't! My family! They'd hate me! And… what if she says she doesn't like me back?" She shrank backwards, looking pained.

"But what if she says she does?" Domino countered. "Look, I don't think it's that far fetched to think that that is a possibility." El looked up at her, the defeat in her eyes fading slightly.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Dude! It's pretty obvious that she likes you! Literally, I swear sometimes she's just outright flirting with you." She laughed, slightly surprised that her friend was so oblivious. "And if she does say no, who cares? At least you tried and don't spend your whole life regretting that you didn't take a chance. You'll still have me either way." El brightened slightly, before sinking back down again.

"But my family…" She trailed off uncertainly.

"Look, I know that your parents are… less than supportive of this kind of thing." Domino began; El's eyebrows lifted, looking unimpressed. Domino ignored the look. "But they're not your only family. You're a part of my family, too. And Wade's. And Piotr's. And Cable's and Vanessa's." El looked unconvinced, so Domino squeezed her arm slightly. "Sometimes the family you're born with just… isn't right. Sometimes you need to find family too. And I'm glad you're a part of my family."

El closed her eyes and turned around, before wrapping her arms around Domino's middle, pulling her into a hug. Domino smiled and returned the gesture, squeezing her tightly.

"I love you Domino. Thanks for being there for me." She muttered softly. Oh, yeah. She was definitely softening up.

"I love you too, El."


	7. As Though Fire Burns Under Your Feet

Chapter title is from You by Keaton Henson

It was two weeks after the S F Talk™, and El and Domino were getting ready to go out to a party hosted by a kid called Tony Stark at his house. Out of everyone at the damn school, he was the richest. (He wasn't bad looking either, but Domino would never admit that). The party was for Peter Parker, Tony's best friend. Half of the school had been invited, but it was almost certain that there were going to be more people than that. Oh well, Tony's house was supposedly a mansion; he could accommodate a few strays.

El was nervous about the party. She didn't like large social gatherings. The girl was once again pacing the floor of Domino's room anxiously, muttering to herself.

Domino, who had been examining earrings to let El have for the party, turned to her with a small smile and holding two different pairs of earrings, one long and dangly, the other pair studs.

"Look, you'll be fine. It's just a party. If you wanna leave early, just tell me and I'll take us home." She reassured her friend, lifting up the pairs of earrings. "Which ones?"

El was wearing a leather jacket and a nice white shirt, denim jeans, and had some pretty, pink tinted lip gloss on. Domino decided the black was too edgy for the party. Her hair was also different. Domino had dragged her out to get another hair cut, as it was in that 'awkward phase' that people reach after shaving their heads. Now it was styled so the sides of her head were much shorter, with a crop of longer, curly hair going down the middle of her head. Frowning between El's disgruntled face and the earrings, she decided one of each was best. That'd look cool. El, meanwhile, didn't look all that happy with her new look.

"Here you go! Trust me, you look gorgeous!" Domino gushed, giving her a playful smirk. "But in all seriousness, you look great."

The corners of El's mouth lifted into a small smile of her own, and she turned to gaze at herself in Domino's full length mirror.

"When's Yukio gonna be over?" El asked over her shoulder, still examining herself critically.

"Soon." Domino replied, checking her phone for the time.

El tugged the jacket down a bit and frowned at herself in the mirror.

"She'll think you're pretty." Domino assured her friend softly, knowing that El was nervous about seeing Yukio again. No matter how much time they spent at school being huge, nerdy losers, El always got anxious before they went out together.

El gave her a terse nod, and Domino could tell she didn't believe her. The doorbell rang downstairs, signalling Yukio's arrival. El jumped a bit in surprise, and Domino walked past her to get the door.

"Meet us downstairs as soon as you stop staring at yourself in the mirror." She called over her shoulder teasingly. Domino heard a huff of annoyed amusement, and heard her friend's footsteps following her down the stairs. The house was silent, as usual. Domino's parents were hardly ever home; they were always out on business. Not that Domino minded that much, she was happy for the solitude and privacy. So was El.

Her parents were always home, but they weren't very nice to her at all. They were very controlling. El wasn't allowed to text anyone without her parents reading her messages every night. She wasn't allowed out all that often. She wasn't allowed to drive. And she wasn't allowed to have a boyfriend. Good thing she's gay, then. But, if her parents found out, Domino doubted they would let her stay around any longer. They might even pull her out of school and make her home-schooled.

Domino's thoughts were shoved to the back of her mind when she opened the door to let Yukio in. The girl looked stunning. She was wearing a pretty dress, boots and a denim jacket. Her hair was out and flowed loosely over her shoulders. Yukio gave her a warm smile.

"You look great." She complimented. Domino snorted. She was just wearing her usual clothes, but with nicer earrings and makeup. She accepted the compliment though.

"You do too." She replied.

Yukio's eyes slid past Domino to inspect El. From the way her eyes lit up, Domino could tell she thought El was stunning, too. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out as she looked at El with a somewhat dazed expression. Domino recognised it to be the same expression El had worn on the first day at school upon seeing Yukio. Domino bit back a snigger of amusement.

"Hi." El waved, a small blush creeping across her face at the look Yukio was giving her.

The girl snapped out of her stupor at El's greeting, and Yukio gave her a small smile and a wave in return, a similar blush spreading across her own face. Domino, almost choking on the sexual tension in the room, clapped her hands and hurriedly stepped outside.

"Let's go!" She excaimed, walking towards her car. She was designated driver of the night, and so she wasn't allowed to drink. She didn't mind that much though. She could drink when she got home, if she wanted to.

The drive to Tony's house was short but quite loud; the two girls in the back seat chatting between them as Domino played music in the car. More nerd stuff, maybe? Listening in, she caught the words "-no, not Batman, SUPERMAN-"and yeah it was definitely more nerd stuff. Domino was surprised they still had nerdy topics to talk about. She was sure they'd have run out by now.

Pulling up further up the road from Tony's house, she parked in the already packed street, and turned off the ignition.

"Alright, losers. Out." She ordered, opening her door and stepping out into the cool, night air. The other two girls quickly followed suit, exiting the vehicle and closing the doors. Domino locked her car and pocketed the keys, before leading the way down the road to Tony's house.

Music and laughter was pouring out of the windows, and Domino glanced back at her slightly more introverted friends to see what they thought. While they had shifted closer together slightly, excitement was glinting in their eyes as they gazed up at the house in awe.

It was massive. Three stories high, at least, with 2 garages. They were closed and locked because of the party, but Domino guessed there were very expensive cars inside them. Ferraris, maybe? Or maybe Lamborghinis? Porsches? It doesn't really matter, she supposed.

Faint splashing sounds echoed from the backyard. Of course they had a swimming pool, too. Oh, if only she'd brought her swimsuit…

"Hey! Domino! Guys! Over here!" A voice yelled from across the massive expanse of lawn. Wade bounded over holding Vanessa's hand, with Piotr and Cable in tow.

"Some party, huh?" He exclaimed, eyes shining.

"We haven't even gone inside yet." Piotr pointed out.

"Well, yeah, because we were waiting for these slowpokes to get here." He said pointedly, prodding Domino with his free hand.

"You waited? Why? I told you not to." Domino had to yell over the music and jeers as they approached the house.

"We wanted to make sure you came." Piotr explained. "El doesn't usually like parties."

El swatted him on the arm and he chuckled in response, dodging out of the way to evade any further attacks. The house was beautiful on the inside, too. People were absolutely everywhere. Dancing, playing games, singing karaoke, drinking, kissing… How many people can actually fit in this house? It was really hot in here too; Domino pulled off her jacket once inside to try to cool herself down. Cable strode past them in the direction of what Domino assumed to be the kitchen.

"C'mon guys. Drinks this way." He called over his shoulder. "I came to Tony's last party. I assume it's all in the same place it was last year."

Everyone began following him to get an alcoholic beverage of some kind, probably punch or beer for the boys. Domino stood idly to the side and turned around in a slow circle, admiring the ornate furnishings of the house.

"Hey Domino! You coming?" Cable's voice sounded beside her, and she turned to see him looking at her expectantly. Domino shook her head.

"Can't drink. I'm the designated driver tonight." Domino paused and tipped her head. "Do they have any soda or anything?"

At Cable's nod she shrugged and followed him and the others to the kitchen. El, Yukio, Vanessa and Wade already had their drinks and were chatting between them while Piotr was grabbing himself and Cable a beer.

"Hey Piotr! Soda for Domino." Cable shouted; the music was deafening in this part of the house. Piotr reached into a bucket of ice and pulled a can of lemonade out, before tossing it to Domino. She smiled and popped it open, taking a sip of the sugary drink. Domino watched Yukio take a sip of her drink, before she immediately pulled an ugly face of disgust, grimacing as she swallowed. El had apparently seen too, because she shook her head and took Yukio's drink from her, before going off to get her some punch. She must've been drinking beer of some kind, then. Domino could hardly blame her for being disgusted; the stuff was gross. She didn't understand how El drank it.

Yukio accepted her new drink with a soft smile, and El blushed lightly, taking another sip of her beer. Yukio's eyes suddenly lit up, and she grabbed El's hand before dragging her to a different part of the house. As they duo left, El turned and caught Domino's eye. She looked slightly nervous, but happy, and Domino lifted her lemonade in a 'cheers' gesture to her friend before they disappeared around a corner and out of her sight.

Domino turned back to her other friends, and Vanessa gave her a knowing look, also wearing a small smile. Domino shrugged and grinned back. They wouldn't get themselves into too much trouble on their own. Maybe. Hopefully.

As the night wore on and people got drunker, Domino realised that she had no idea where the other two girls had gone. Pushing down a wave of worry and reminding herself that El could take care of herself, Domino sat on a couch situated in front of the karaoke stand, where Wade was currently making a fool of himself. He was, at the moment, badly singing 'The Middle' by Zedd, and Domino could barely stop herself from covering her ears to block out the dreadful noise.

Vanessa was watching him fondly, while Piotr and Cable guffawed with laughter at his performance, earning them both a sharp prod from Vanessa. Wade nearly fell off the stand in his drunkness, and swaggered back to Vanessa to sit next to her on the couch, squeezing in between her and Domino.

Domino snorted and scooted over a bit to allow him to sit down. A buzz in her pocket alerted her to an incoming text from El.

3 new messages from: BEST FRANDDD 3  
1:29: I need to leave  
1:29: Can we go back to your place now?  
1:30: I really need to go now

Domino sat up straighter, her previous worries flashing through her, before shooting her a reply.

YOU:  
1:31: What happened?

BEST FRANDDD 3:  
1:31: Can we just go? I'll walk if I need to.

Sensing the urgency in El's messages, Domino sighed and rubbed her eyes, turning off her phone. Grabbing her jacket and checking she had her keys, she quickly stood to leave. She then turned to Vanessa, who had lifted her head to gaze at her curiously.

"If you find Yukio, could you tell her I'm taking El back to my place? I'll come back to drop her home soon." Domino asked in a rush.

Vanessa looked confused, but nodded. Before Domino walked away, however, Vanessa tapped her on the back and said as quietly as possible "I'll take her home myself. You can stay with El." Concern shone in her eyes.

Domino nodded at her gratefully, waved goodbye to the others, and went off in search of her friend. Worry rose like bile in her throat. Oh god El, what happened this time to make you so panicked?


End file.
